Indian army to use chilli grenades to fight terror

Guwahati, Mar 24: Indian Army will now be armed with world's hottest chilli for defence.

Defence officials said that after innumerable tests, military has come up with the decision to use 'Bhut jolokia', a variety of chilli, grown and eaten in northeast, to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize terror suspects.

"The chilli grenade has been found fit for use after trials in Indian defense laboratories, a fact confirmed by scientists at the Defense Research and Development Organization," Col R Kalia, a defence spokesman in Assam said in a news agency report.

Bhut jolokia was declared as the world's spiciest chilli by Guinness World Records in 2007.

Besides its taste, the chilli is eaten for its remedial features like cure for stomach troubles and also hepls in beating the summer heat.

The chilli has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili's spiciness, which is more than Classic Tabasco sauce, which measures from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, while jalapeno peppers ranges from 2,500 to 8,000.

"This is definitely going to be an effective nontoxic weapon because its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hide-outs," R B Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO said.

Srivastava, who was head of a defence research laboratory in Assam, said that trials are being conducted to produce 'bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays', which can be used by women to defend themselves against attackers and also by the police to disperse mob.